Payette secures and extends on-premises BCDR while preparing for a cost-effective cloud future with Azure

When Payette’s data was compromised during a cyberattack, the company modernized by expanding to a hybrid environment with Microsoft Azure and enhancing its use of Rubrik’s capabilities. Payette relies on Azure and Rubrik to handle a comprehensive set of business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) functions, including backing up, protecting, restoring, and modernizing its critical business data. This transformation has been transformative for Payette, which is now exploring further opportunities to increase its Azure presence to foster a flexible, cloud-based future for business innovation.

Bright opportunities in a company’s evolution can sometimes emerge from its darkest moments. For Payette, an award-winning architectural firm based in Boston, that dark moment came when its data was breached during a cyberattack. Fortunately, Payette's Director of Information Technology, Dan Gallivan, acted swiftly with the support of longtime security partner Rubrik, and the threat was quickly contained. This incident prompted a reassessment of their on-premises data and computing environment.

As a result, Payette modernized its infrastructure by transitioning to a hybrid environment with Microsoft Azure and upgrading its integration with Rubrik’s capabilities. Payette trusts Azure and Rubrik to deliver a comprehensive set of business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) functions to back up, protect, restore, and modernize its essential data. This change has been game-changing for Payette, which is now actively seeking new ways to expand its Azure footprint to ensure a flexible and innovative cloud-based future.

ROI isn’t the only thing we value. Azure gives us peace of mind that our estate is always going to be operational and highly secure and that we can spin up workstations and get to the data we need.

Dan Gallivan: Director of Information Technology

Payette

A new method for protecting extensive and intricate data on Azure

Payette undertakes large and complex projects such as hospitals and research facilities, which involve extensive and diverse data, including PDFs, CAD files, building models, images, drone videos, and VR design files, along with finance, HR, and payroll records. Projects typically last three to five years, leading to exponential data growth. Payette has already migrated over 30 terabytes (TB) of data to Azure, with an additional 50 TB planned.

Remote work adds IT challenges, especially since the main activity hub is in Boston, limiting replication capabilities. Thus, cloud adoption has become crucial. Initially, Payette's concerns focused on physical disruptions, but a data breach shifted attention to cybersecurity. The firm, using Rubrik Security Cloud for on-premises protection, now also employs Azure Backup and Azure Site Recovery for a comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution. This integration enhances threat monitoring and provides greater peace of mind regarding data anomalies and potential ransomware attacks.

Finding new ways to enhance business operations with Azure

Payette's transition from on-premises Exchange to a hosted Microsoft 365 environment in Azure has been a natural progression. "Microsoft 365 is our bread and butter," says Gallivan. The firm's updated BCDR plans utilize Rubrik and Azure to archive large unstructured NAS datasets in Azure Blob Storage. While deploying workloads in Azure, Gallivan realized the process offered a better way for his team to work. "Azure and Rubrik enabled us to extend and back up to the cloud," he explains. "If migrating servers for an emergency is seamless, why reserve it for emergencies? During testing, I saw it was ideal for a broader cloud migration, so we started using it in production." This shift opened new possibilities for Payette. "Azure is cost-effective with performance nearly equal to on-premises, so we're now considering moving other critical workloads to it."

The BCDR enhancements also brought unexpected efficiencies, allowing Gallivan's team to do more with less. "Azure has been invaluable for regular maintenance," he notes. "To update a server, we just delete the virtual machine and instantly restore it with the update. Azure has truly become our business backbone."

Payette previously prioritized data proximity to compute resources for performance, but broader workflow options have emerged as this is no longer necessary. Transitioning from on-premises servers to Azure, Payette expanded its use of Azure Virtual Machines on Windows Server 11 with Intel processors and began using Azure Virtual Desktop. "These support GPUs for rendering VR applications in the cloud," Gallivan says. "They also let our staff use ultralight laptops while accessing large cloud models."

Payette is not only phasing out on-premises server hardware but also its aging fleet of workstations. Azure has reshaped Payette's workplace for a cloud-based future. "The office is for collaboration, but data doesn't need to reside here," says Gallivan. "Hosting data in Azure is more cost-effective and avoids a single point of failure. We're moving everything to Azure."

Doing more with less brings value and peace of mind

Payette focuses on efficiency and meeting company needs while managing costs. “Operating expenses have shifted to software, and pricing has been a challenge, but Microsoft has been fair compared to other vendors,” says Gallivan. Cost savings are reinvested into developing employees' skills and enhancing the internship program, which aids in recruiting and retaining top talent.

Beyond cost savings, Payette values the peace of mind Azure provides, ensuring operations are secure and data is accessible. Gallivan notes that Azure BCDR has improved work/life balance by reducing the constant need for monitoring, highlighting the importance of these intangible benefits to the company.

It’s much more cost-effective for my team and our operations to host data in Azure rather than having a single point of failure. We’re moving everything to Azure.

Dan Gallivan: Director of Information Technology

Payette

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